5Disclaimer: I obviously do not own any of these characters...everything here is borrowed with love. ;)
20.
A knock came at the door. Brian Williams sighed and put down his newspaper. It would be a miracle if he finished it before his tea turned stone cold. Though in all fairness, he hadn't been able to concentrate on his reading since the unfortunate news from earlier.
Brian was halfway out of the chair when he heard the door creak open and voices in the foyer. He froze as a familiar bell of laughter echoed down the hallway—Amy!
"Dad? You home?" came his son's call.
Brian flung himself the rest of the way to his feet and hurried to the front of the house. Then he froze as his eyes confirmed the good news.
"You're back!" he exclaimed. He glanced at his watch. "Blimey, that was quick. It hasn't even been an hour."
"Time travel," Rory said by way of explanation.
"Sorry if we made you worry," Amy said, kissing her father-in-law on the cheek.
Brian fumbled for words. "I'm just glad you're both okay," he said, drawing the pair into a hug.
A stranger in black with greying hair leaned against the wall behind them. He had one foot propped up against the wall, and wore a satisfied smile on his face. His eyes were downcast, his arms folded.
"Thank you," Brian said to him, releasing his children and pushing past them to the man who had brought them back.
Snart pushed off the wall but kept his eyes on the floor.
"I keep my promises," he said. He dug in his pocket and handed Brian the postcard from that morning. It was crumpled and worn far more than it had been just an hour previous. Brian took it from him and smoothed out the crinkled edges.
"So you did," he said, a lump in his throat. "And the Doctor?" he asked.
"Flew off into the sunset," Snart replied.
Brian turned to his son and daughter. "And you're both okay with that?" he asked.
"Yeah," Rory replied, "We're good."
Amy slipped her hand into his and squeezed it.
Brian turned back to Snart.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Please, any more thanks and I'll get all teary-eyed," Snart said, avoiding eye contact. "Anyway, I just came to return that—" he gestured to the postcard, "And now it's time I got back to my team."
"Good luck," Rory called out.
Snart turned his back and placed his hand on the doorknob.
"Don't need it," he said. And with a wave, he was gone.
"So? How does it feel to be a hero?" Sara asked.
They were back aboard the Waverider, coasting along in the temporal zone after their last trip to Leadworth.
"I'm not a hero," Snart denied, leaning up against the middle console. "Just a man who did what he thought was right."
"Sounds like a hero to me," Sara said with a smile.
She caught Snart's eye from across the room. The thief grinned, looking away.
"If I was a 'hero'…" he said slowly, testing the word out for himself, "Does that mean I get the girl?"
Sara was silent for a long minute, considering Snart with a faint smile on her face. She crossed the room, and at first Snart thought she would leave him without giving him an answer. Then Sara stopped just short of the doorway and turned back.
"Maybe," she said through puckered lips. And then she continued her exit.
"Good enough for me," Snart replied softly to the empty room. He stared out into the swirling green cloud beyond the Waverider's front bow, pondering what that meant for him.
Sara poked her head back into the room a moment later.
"Hey, moron," she called to Snart. He looked up, surprised. "That means follow me," she said, raising an eyebrow and wiggling her finger at him. Snart pushed off the middle console and did as his Captain commanded.
Sarah pulled him past the threshold to her room by the front of his shirt and drew him down into a kiss.
"I thought you said there would be no more of those," Snart said when she pulled away.
"Yeah, well, that was when you were just a thief," Sarah replied coyly.
Snart grinned. "This whole 'hero' thing is going to take some getting used to."
Sara looked back at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Give it time," she said. Then she pushed him onto the bed and closed the door.
Author's Notes:
20.1: I liked the idea of Amy and Rory arriving home only minutes after the Legends first visit Brian. I liked it because the man must have been worried sick about his son and daughter-in-law, and I like that the Legends realize that and fix things so that he doesn't have to worry for too long. I dunno, I guess I found it sweet.
20.2: It became clear while writing this that I have a thing for Sara and Snart… Snart's feelings for Sara were at first meant to be entirely one-sided…until the end when they weren't. In chapter 9 she kisses him because she's happy to see him and knows how he feels (and maybe she feels a little sorry for him) ...and then I just couldn't help myself. I think maybe he grew on her… or maybe I just find them both so inexplicably sexy that I just had to go and throw them in bed together. I don't think it's a long-term thing… but I like the idea of an on-and-off fling… at least until Sara meets Ava and Snart meets Ray/Alonso from Doctor Who ;)
20.2: I'm left wondering about the end of Season 3 in Legends. (Spoilers!) I briefly considered rewriting the entire 2nd part after watching it to fit with the cannon, but decided against it because there wasn't really a story there…although feeding the angels to the demon Mallus in order to destroy them both certainly had its appeal. But then I thought that if Rip/Rory were to create the Time Bureau with Amy as its co-founder, a lot of things would be different. She certainly wouldn't allow him to do what he does at the end of season 3, and he wouldn't have a reason to do it either. I'll leave you all to draw your own conclusions about what happens.
Ending Notes: Thank you to everyone who reads this, and please let me know what you think! This was my first dabble into either fandom but certainly not my first rodeo. It is, however, the first time I've written something in such a short period of time…just a couple of months! It was loads of fun to write, and I really hope you enjoyed it. Thanks again! ;)